A friend sent me clippings from Ralph Nachtigal's "Bottom of the
Barrel" column about the infamous Platte/Webster game during the
1946 Class B Basketball Tournament. I was on that team but did not
play in that game. Those of us on the bench didn't realize there was
any controversy about the completion of the game. I do remember
seeing Supt. Slocum arguing vociferously with someone at the scorer's
table, but we players went down to the dressing room. The Sioux Falls
High School Band was acting as the "official" band for the tournament
and they were seated on a raised platform in one corner of the arena,
right under the official clock. They could hear the buzzer when the
game ended even though most of the crowd (and the officials)
couldn't. As we sat with our heads in our hands in the locker room,
some of the band members came in and told us we didn't lose that
game. They assured us the buzzer went off well before the Lefty
Engebretsen had launched the shot and well before the gun sounded.
There was a ray of hope, but it was not to be. Incidentally, of the 10
boys on that team, I believe 6 still survive. In addition to me, those are
Marlowe Pranger, Jim Inverson, Armand Sluiter, Keith Coates and, I
believe, Hazen Brummel. Dead are Floyd Sluiter, Emil Hudek and
Dwayne Vrablick (killed in the same auto accident) and Lyle Walstad.
Since the Platte Enterprise doesn't have an e-mail address, I'm hoping
someone sees this and can get it to Ralph Nachtigal for his
information. Thanks.